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Phishing scammers impersonate AH employee to drain crypto wallets

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Re: Phishing scammers impersonate AH employee to drain crypto wallets

#31

Post by lostmsu »

thih9 wrote: post #13

This works because we've been conditioned to install videochat plugins, no matter the security warnings. Personally I installed a few of these. I remember when running Google Meet without Chrome required some plugin and when Zoom required admin password every now and then to perform an update (even after the Mac vulnerability incident[1]). I hope I'll think twice next time I see a prompt to install a plugin like this…

Ah good, looks like avoiding the Zoom, Telegram, etc apps and using website instead, and only installing messengers that are sandboxed is paying off.

Re: Phishing scammers impersonate AH employee to drain crypto wallets

#33

Post by jowea »

michaelteter wrote: post #25
dboreham wrote: post #12

AH == a16z it seems.

And here I was wondering why a Dutch grocery store employee had access to any significant amount of crypto...

The real question to me was who would be fooled by an official pretending to be from a country that ceased existing a century ago.

Re: Phishing scammers impersonate AH employee to drain crypto wallets

#34

Post by codedokode »

matsz wrote: post #27
codedokode wrote: post #15

Why installing an app allows to "drain wallets"? Why does a video chat app, which is installed from untrusted source, have an access to a wallet private key? Why OS allows this?

There is no way to prevent this on the OS level without making an OS as locked down as iOS. Anything less, and the user will find a way to accidentally give admin permissions to random apps. NB: I don't believe that it's the OS's job to protect the user from themselves. Shielding people from consequences of their own actions results in people making worse mistakes later on.

The OS's job is to protect user from malicious apps or apps with vulnerabilities. It does its job very poorly, for example, I have to manually build sandboxes and create users for every app, and I don't understand why this cannot be built-in and automated.

Re: Phishing scammers impersonate AH employee to drain crypto wallets

#35

Post by elphinstone »

rendall wrote: post #19
rib3ye wrote: post #6

What's scary is if you google Vortax, it comes up like a totally legit videochat app.

My god. Even a marketing article comparing it to Google Meet. https://medium.com/@VorionApp/vortax-vs-google-meet-what-are...

Yes, it reads fairly legit too, not LLM copypasta. Wonder if the scammer was literate or they hired an actual copywriter? Probably just reworded a legit writeup of another product, though. But looking for all the "Vortax" bs they put ou there could be a trail to find them.

Re: Phishing scammers impersonate AH employee to drain crypto wallets

#36

Post by namaria »

codedokode wrote: post #15

Why installing an app allows to "drain wallets"? Why does a video chat app, which is installed from untrusted source, have an access to a wallet private key? Why OS allows this?

Honestly, trusting the OS to save you is a bad idea. Why people have one omni device that owns their identity and assets and they will install software "someone online" asked them to on it is beyond me. Horrible opsec all around.

Re: Phishing scammers impersonate AH employee to drain crypto wallets

#37

Post by codedokode »

namaria wrote: post #36
codedokode wrote: post #15

Why installing an app allows to "drain wallets"? Why does a video chat app, which is installed from untrusted source, have an access to a wallet private key? Why OS allows this?

Honestly, trusting the OS to save you is a bad idea. Why people have one omni device that owns their identity and assets and they will install software "someone online" asked them to on it is beyond me. Horrible opsec all around.

It should be safe to install software. Just as opening a page in a browser is safe.

Re: Phishing scammers impersonate AH employee to drain crypto wallets

#38

Post by namaria »

codedokode wrote: post #37
namaria wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, trusting the OS to save you is a bad idea. Why people have one omni device that owns their identity and assets and they will install software "someone online" asked them to on it is beyond me. Horrible opsec all around.

It should be safe to install software. Just as opening a page in a browser is safe.

It will never be safe to run arbitrary code on a general computer.

The kind of safety you're talking about is only possible in strictly walled gardens.

Re: Phishing scammers impersonate AH employee to drain crypto wallets

#39

Post by thih9 »

codedokode wrote: post #20
Angostura wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It worked partly because the company website listed the scammer’s Twitter handle as legit

And because OS allows a video chat app to access wallet's private key.

An OS will never protect every wallet; the user can move to an OS and wallet combination that provides sufficient protection for them.

Re: Phishing scammers impersonate AH employee to drain crypto wallets

#40

Post by rendall »

elphinstone wrote: post #35
rendall wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My god. Even a marketing article comparing it to Google Meet. https://medium.com/@VorionApp/vortax-vs-google-meet-what-are...

Yes, it reads fairly legit too, not LLM copypasta. Wonder if the scammer was literate or they hired an actual copywriter? Probably just reworded a legit writeup of another product, though. But looking for all the "Vortax" bs they put ou there could be a trail to find them.

I'm still thinking about this. There must be a enough money in this endeavor for it to be worth expending this kind of energy in making it seem legitimate.

This raises questions.

What other endeavors, corporations, or practices do we accept as legitimate that are clearly not? FTX is one example that's obvious in retrospect. How about suspect practices that have become legitimized because of the sheer money and power accrued? I'm thinking for example banks that have been caught red-handed doing business with mafias or terrorists but have not been punished. But those are knowns. What are the unknowns?

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